GOTEBORG, Sweden — Inside a waterfront factory soaked with the acrid smell of tobacco, about half the blue-clad workers show an odd facial deformity: Their upper lips look swollen.
It's a telltale sign they are sampling some of the 20 tons of smokeless tobacco being produced here daily.
Snus (pronounced snoos) -- a Scandinavian form of moist snuff -- has been banned elsewhere in the European Union for more than a decade, but its popularity has rebounded strongly in its country of origin, where one of every nine Swedes uses it.
And the top snus maker, Swedish Match, now is targeting world markets with claims that its blend of tobacco, water, salt and flavoring is a safer alternative to smoking.
"We don't claim that snus is a completely problem-free product," Stefan Gelkner, a Swedish Match executive, says while squeezing a pouch of prepackaged snuff under his upper lip. "But we refer to the scientific studies conducted that haven't found any link between snus and cancer."
After falling out of style in the 1970s, the traditionally male, working-class habit has spread into virtually every sector of Swedish society, male and female. Grimy, used snus packets litter the otherwise clean streets and subway stations of Stockholm.
Meanwhile, the smoking rate has fallen below 20% in the Scandinavian country of 9 million people -- the lowest in the world.
Unlike American snuff, which is placed in the lower part of the mouth, causing users to salivate and spit, a Swedish snus portion, or "prilla," is savored on the gum above the front teeth. Many users opt for snus in thumbnail-sized paper pouches, to prevent the tobacco from spreading around the mouth.
As protruding upper lips replace smoke rings in Swedish bars and offices, scientists are debating the ethics of replacing cigarettes with another tobacco product -- less harmful, perhaps, but just as addictive because of the nicotine it contains.
"I don't think there's any question that Sweden is a model for safer use of tobacco products," said Dr. Brad Rodu, a smokeless tobacco advocate at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. "The only consequential risk of smokeless tobacco is mouth cancer, and historically that risk is extremely small."
Rodu spent six months researching snus in northern Sweden and claims it's a much safer alternative for smokers who can't kick the nicotine habit. He noted several studies had failed to link snus to cancer, which Swedish Match attributes to its efforts to remove carcinogens during manufacturing.
